Homemade Free-Range Mayonnaise

Taken from Food for Thought by Vanessa Kimbell. Published by Kyle Books. Photography by Laura Edwards.

This is delicious served with salads or poached vegetables. If you have a stick blender this recipe is even easier, but I have made this just using a balloon whisk. It’s hard work but then I feel I can justify the calories I consume. I like to add more flavours, sometimes: right at the end you could mix in a mashed clove of garlic, or a small bunch of fresh tarragon, neatly chopped, or 1–2 teaspoons of fair trade smoked paprika. Think of this as a perfect ‘base’ recipe and add the flavours that suit your meal.

Makes 2 x 350g Jars

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons apple vinegar or the juice of 1/2 lemon

pinch of sea salt

approx. 600ml olive oil

Put the egg yolks into a large bowl. Add the mustard, vinegar, salt and a glug of oil (about 3 tablespoons).

Beat for about 10 seconds, then add another glug of oil and whisk again. Repeat this, adding the oil gradually, until the mayonnaise has a good, glossy emulsified look to it, and a thick consistency. Don’t worry if it’s too thick, as you can thin it by adding a little more lemon juice. At this point you can divide the mayonnaise between separate bowls and make two or even three batches, adding different herbs or spices to each one, as desired.

Please note: At The Sourdough School we endeavour to use fresh, seasonal, locally produced ingredients wherever possible. We reserve the right to change certain ingredients depending on availability, and rely on students to contact the school before attending a course if they have any food allergies or intolerances.